This invention relates in general to the ventilation of injured or ill persons and deals more particularly with a portable ventilating device which is well suited for use in the field.
In the event of certain medical emergencies, it is necessary for injured or ill persons to be artificially ventilated in order to prevent death and other serious consequences. For example, it is necessary for the armed forces to be capable of ventilating injured personnel in the field or persons who have been subjected to smoke inhalation or poisonous gases. In the past, the portable field ventilators that have been available have not been as light as desirable, have not been easy to use and service in the field, and have not been useful in the absence of operating power. In addition, the provision of a portable ventilating device capable of ventilating at a constant rate and volume without undue complexity has not been accomplished.
The present invention is directed to an improved ventilating device which is constructed in a unique manner to overcome the aforementioned problems. Among the objects of the invention are to provide a ventilating device which is light in weight, easy to use, easy to assemble, disassemble and maintain, easily decontaminated, easy to store, capable of manual operation when operating power is unavailable, and constructed of parts which are not subject to degradation even after the device has been stored and/or used over a prolonged period.